Tony Borsellino
Frank Calabrese Sr. was not a man without compassion.
At least, according to Frank Calabrese Sr.
He is accused of kiling 13 people for the mob, but he once tried to stop someone from getting whacked, according to court testimony.
Calabrese Sr. tried to stop his friend, Anthony Borsellino, from being killed. Calabrese Sr. told this to his son while they were in prison together. The feds secretly recorded their conversations.
Fellow mobster Butchie Petrocelli had arranged for his rival, Borsellino, to be rubbed out.
Butchie "was a no good m-----------," is how Calabrese Sr. described him on tape.
Calabrese Sr. went to his boss, Angelo "The Hook" LaPietra, to get the hit stopped.
"I tried everything to save him," Calabrese Sr. told his son.
The Hook came up with a solution.
Sure, Calabrese Sr. could save his friend, LaPietra told him.
He would simply have to be willing to take his place, LaPietra said.
Borsellino was gunned down in 1979.
Where is this surveillance tape archived?
WARMBIR RESPONDS: You can check out the tape played in court at the U.S. Attorney's web site. The address is:
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/hot/familySecrets.html